Worth A Million⇝Tony Starks Daughter

fifteen

It all started with the shaking. It started at the hands, the slightest little waver in a usually still hand. Winter stared at them for hours trying to rid herself of them. She felt that if she stared long enough at them they would eventually go away.

Most days she was inside, not that she minded. But it wasn't unusual when either Tony or Pepper would come inside of whichever room she was in to find her staring blankly at her hands. They'd ask if she was okay.

-

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just a...bit tired."

-

The slight tremors seemed to vanish for a day. Winter ignored them in every which way possible. Watching t.v. and even trying to play a video game on a console that Tony was testing out just for her. It was probably the nicest thing he's done since she's been back. He doesn't talk much, whenever she asks Pepper where he is, the answers were always the same.

-

"He's just working."

"He's tired, he had a long day."

"He's in a meeting."

Or her favorite.

"I️ don't know."

Which was the biggest lie of them all.

-

Winter knew where Tony was, exactly where he was. He was down in his lab that he seemed to have locked himself inside of since she got back. She often wondered if she did something to hurt his feelings, she had a tendency to be unaware of others feelings. Deep down she knew he probably didn't want her there.

He'd barely seen him after the night she got back.

It was a Monday afternoon, the house was cool and Winter was on her usual spot in the middle of the living rooms couch. A controller in her hand as she effortlessly smashed each button to control her in-game character. There was a odd ache in her hands, a tingling sensation she chose to ignore. Only did she pay attention when the controller started to shake along with her hands.

The controller landed with a thud on the ground. The tingling sensation grew into a burning one, the tips of her fingers felt like they were melting off, each time they shook it sent burns down her arms. It was something unbearable, something new and one that she hadn't felt before. It was horrible.

Following after the controller, Winter was on the ground next. Holding her hands close to her chest and whimpering in the slightest attempt to wish the pain away. It wouldn't go away and only seemed to grow larger.

And then, right at the verge of crying. It all, stopped.

Shaky breaths managed their way into Winters lungs, each one in an attempt to calm down. Out the window to look at anything but her hands, she saw the ocean. Yeah, the ocean sounded nice right now. She had to get out of this house and calm down, because right now she felt like it was closing in and suffocating.

Winter all but ran down rocks that led to the sand, her knees digging into it and welcoming the warm feeling it gave. Sighing out in relief she flopped backwards, there was no pain, no worries, just a sense of relief and peace.

Until something dark shadowed over her. It felt like something bright was burning her eyelids open to look up. Who the heck would be down on the beach that Tony had specifically bought so no trespassers could go on it.

Metal was glinting in her eye.

It had metal fingers, leading up to the elbow, then to the shoulder. She only knew one person with that distinction; the man that had helped her escape Obadiah. The man who had said he owed her father. To what, she hadn't figured out yet.

"Hey kid," he greeted, "We gotta talk."